


Elfen Traditions

by Danaeka



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: (As per Elfen traditions), Angst, Elf Culture & Customs, Elf Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Established Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M, Married Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Multi, Parent Ethari (The Dragon Prince), Parent Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Rayla Loses Her Hand (The Dragon Prince), Rayla loses her horns, Soft Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Step-parents, hurt rayla
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28788222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danaeka/pseuds/Danaeka
Summary: It meant nothing to Sunfire Elves, they hid their horns behind crowns and head helmets, while Moonshadow Elves showed them off with only their immediate kin allowed to touch them, and much more exclusively, only mates were allowed to lock horns like she and this random guard were doing._________(Also known as I cut off Reyla's horns for no reason)
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ethari & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Rayla & Runaan (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	Elfen Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm really into this fandom attm. I hope you don't mind my little story.

Rayla knew when something was a bad idea. She was still a ghost to her fellow elves, she was still a stranger. No matter how much the Queen said she had been the one who brought back the Dragon Prince and allowed for final peace between kingdoms.

Her kind still thought of her as a traitor, as someone worth punishing and lastly, as the reason many lives had been lost because of the war against humans due to their two Kings death…

She was happy though, all the coin turned elves had been able to return to their families, including her parents who had been told of her treason by the village and refused to see her, Runaan couldn't look at her in the eye anymore and neither did Ethari, she clenched her remaining hand and turned to head back with Callum.

Rayla had seen something on Runaan the day he entered the village, half his horn was gone, she could see how Ethari ran up to him, kissing him softly and subsequently tried to lock their horns together… Just to fail because the second part was missing half his left horn.

Centuries ago, there was a tradition amongst Elves who married humans, they would cut off their right horn, and make a beautiful necklace to give to their human partner, Rayla planned to do that for Callum at one point but she also needed to repay Runnan… And so, a decision was made.

"You want me to cut off both your horns?" General (now Queen) Janai asked from her throne, General (also Queen, but she refused to accept said title) Amaya behind her shot her a questioning glance, Janai told her once of the ritual Rayla had just explained to them, she was deeply moved but, ultimately couldn't accept it, this was her wife's pride and joy, her horns grew according to her lifespan, and if she cut one, (never mind the honorable cause) she would be literally cutting off her honor. Something that, as a prideful warrior herself, she understood completely.

For Amaya, imagining someone as young, strong and healthy as Rayla, with such a future ahead of her and with a way to show her success… Someone as prideful as she was wanting to cut off the sole source of it, it made her sad.

"Yes, I need it done…"

"Rayla you, you understand they won't grow back right? You'll be left with nubs that will make others think you failed a mission." Janai explained something she was sure the young elf in front of her already knew, "I understand wanting one cut off, as a love gesture towards your mate, but both?"

Rayla took a deep breath and explained what had happened. Janai wasn't convinced just yet…

"You paid for it, you lost a hand and he got to keep his arm thanks to the queen's pardon. You have nothing to compensate for, I will cut half of you right horn off, but I see no reason to cut the left one." Queen Janai replied, grabbing a small sun forged blade from an elf besides her.

Rayla stood up, shaking her head vigorously, it was both or none.

"No! I want 'em both off! Runaan lost half his horn because of me! I saw 'im, he wanted to lock horns with his husban'!... They raised me! The least I can do is give 'im my own so he can get his rebuilt!" She now looked down at her feet, "I owe 'em. When my mum and dad disappeared they both immediately took care of me, it breaks my heart to see them like that, knowin' they can't greet each other like they should because of me! Knowin' I am the reason both 'em can't do this'' Rayla pulled down a guard and locked her gowns in his.

It meant nothing to Sunfire Elves, they hid their horns behind crowns and head helmets, while Moonshadow Elves showed them off with only their immediate kin allowed to touch them, and much more exclusively, only mates were allowed to lock horns like she and this random guard were doing.

"For us, this gesture means the world and they deserve to do it all the time. Please Queen Jania… I beg you."

Amaya looked at her wife, sure she wouldn't do-

"Alright… Guards, hold her down, this is going to hurt her." Amaya moved to grab Janai's arm, yet her wife's firm and gentle stare made her back off. The moment the blade came close to the horns… She had to look away.

* * *

"Something was left at the door, love," Ethari said, giving a small yet beautifully carved box to his husband who was counting his arrows at that point.

Runaan had been back for about a month now, he was recovering incredibly quickly and regaining his strength even faster. His arm was better now, the queen had managed to cut the strap just in time for him not to lose an arm. The coin did wonders to keep him trapped in time.

Rayla hadn't been that lucky, when they saw her last, even when they hadn't been able to talk to her out of shame, they immediately recognized her slight limp, that bandage had done its job, her hand was gone, but the rest of the village refused to accept her back, for them she chose a human over their kin, they doubted they even understood what Rayla had actually done.

"Left at the door?" Runaan grabbed the box, raising an eyebrow at the pattern in it… It reminded him of the pattern his right horn used to have, but it was slightly different, changing into a completely new one halfway through. "It's… Really pretty work, I must admit."

"Pretty work it is. I couldn't open it for the sake of me, but I figured you might be able to?"

Runaan twisted his expression a bit, but pressed the lock nonetheless, what they saw inside made them both bolt to the door, box in hand.

* * *

"I love the necklace Rayla but… Your other horn…" Callum reached to touch the stumps, she winced a little but let him nonetheless.

"It's okay, it served its purpose and now I'm at peace with myself." Her smile was genuine, but Callum could see she was still tired, she had warned him she was  
going on a month long trip and that she would be back by the next new moon, yet she failed to say just how weak she would return. She was very faint in her step, almost looking lightheaded, he grabbed her arms to steady her.

"Rayla you literally cut your magic source short… You idiot…" He held her close, stroking her hair. Rayla smiled and leaned into him more… Until she fell limp in his arms.

Ezrin jumped from his throne, calling for Soren to help them get Rayla up to her and Callum's chamber. (They shared at the moment since Callum took lessons during the day so he slept at night and Rayla slept during the day, giving she didn't need sleep yet she was nocturnal at best), and also calling Claudia to help diagnose Rayla.

The moment they laid her on the bed, Callum sat at the rocking chair next to Rayla. Keeping an eye on her yet giving Claudia enough room to breath.

"She's very weak Callum…" She whispered after a few minutes, covering her up with a few blankets, "elves have a few magic release points but, horns are the strongest, just like with unicorns, once you cut their horn off, they become like bombs, Rayla will be very weak the rest of her days, her magic won't obey her…"

"Can't you… Uses some of your old Elf horns to reconstruct hers?"

"Callum… She lost her strongest magic 'checkpoint', without it she's not going to recover as quickly, she's basically invalid on her own terms." She sighed, "if I used those horns it wouldn't fix anything, those elves have been dead for months...the horns have no magic left."

Callum grabbed her hand, kissed the back of it and let out a quiet sob, the piece of her hrn hung loose on his neck. "Can't we use the necklace she gave me?" He whispered, already knowing and dreading the answer."

"We could if the break was natural… But it was cut off manually, her body won't accept them any longer. Plus… It'd be rude of you, that's a personal and lovely gift Callum. Please take care of it."

"... Does it mean anything?"

"Yeah… "

The rest of the afternoon was filled with explanations of the many elven rituals.

* * *

"Okay okay. Hold up, you're saying you're from Rayla's hometown, and that you need to see her?" Ezrin asked from his throne, looking back at Corvus and Sorin for reassurance, both making a 'maybe' gesture with their hands, "she just came back from a month long trip, she's resting, I can't let you see her right now."

"You don't get it!" Ethari said, grabbing the half horn out of the box and showing it to the king, his eyes pleading, "she cut off a horn, we need to talk to her!"

"So that's why she cut off both…" Ezrin whispered to himself, but the elves heard him.

"She cut off both?!" Runaan looked at Ethari, "she needs to go back to the Moonshadow elf meadow! At least a few weeks, please!"

"No, she's in no condition to move, she needs to rest and she's doing so right now."

"She's our niece! We raised her!" Ethari looked directly at Ezrin, "young King, Rayla's magic can be kept flowing in many ways, the main way are-were her horns, she needs to go back with us for a few weeks, at least until she's recovered enough to survive outside the meadow."

"I didn't want to turn to this, since I'm not looking to irritate already sore skin. You Moonshadow elves cast her out, she has to live here because her own kind won't accept her back with them. So I ask you, uncles of my friend and my brother's mate, as per your words, why should I hand her over? From what I've seen she's safer here than elsewhere." Sorin tried to not drop his jaw whilst Corvus just blinked a few times to clear his head.

"..." None of the two present said anything.

"I see you understand my point, I will allow you to see her tomorrow, from the moment she speaks to you willingly, meaning she looks for you two herself, she may have the choice to leave with you two, until then, she stays here."

* * *

"Hi Rayla…" Callum whispered once he saw her eyes flutter open. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… Dizzy, I didn't feel this way in Xadia…" She answered, grabbing her head.

"Claudia said it was because of your lack of horns, you can't balance magic here without them, you cut them really low Rayla. What were you thinking?" Callum took her hand in his.

"My uncle… Runaan lost his horn in battle and us Moonshadow elves like to… Lock horns with our mates, but, since you have no horns I figured they could give better use to mine."

"Rayla that's very sweet of you but… You're weak because of your lack of horns, you have unbalanced magic now." He kissed her forehead, "also… to change the atmosphere, Claudia finished your prosthesis, want to try it on?"

"It's not… Made of dark magic right?" She whispered.

"No no… The Dragon Queen helped her make it, Zym and her gave each a scale to make it work as close as your other hand as possible." Callum said, kissing her nose.

"I… I say let's do it."

A smile crept around his lips, he reached to grab the box out of the bag Claudia had packed it in. The device itself was a metallic hand that once the scales of the royal dragons were in, glowed a light blue though the flex points. Rayla smiled softly at the immediate sense of tranquility that flowed through her once the prosthesis was in place. She couldn't quite move it yet, but it felt better.

"It feels really nice… My Queen and Prince's scale really do wonders."

"Yeah… I miss the little guy sometimes."

"So do I," she smiled "but he's with his mum, he's happy now."

"He is… Thanks to your stubbornness Rayla…" He kissed her softly to then rest his forehead against hers. Rayla made the same motion Ethari had done back then with Runaan, tilted her head forward softly to then give a small shove, it was a reflex for her, one he didn't notice but one that her boyfriend did… and it caused Callum great sadness.

"You're amazing Rayla, you're kind, smart and cunning, I'm sorry we, I'm sorry I fail you in certain things."

"Whatever do you mean?" She whispered.

"I… I'm not an elf, I don't understand you, and they're certain things you do, certain things some others know that I don't…" he took her face in his, "Rayla I didn't know what this meant for you! I didn't know what the necklace meant for you!" He sighed.

"Of course you didn't dummy, I hadn't explained it, I was just… I was gettin' one cut off anyway and, gettin' the second one later just seemed dumb. Yours is my promise horn," she grabbed the piece in her fingers to show him, "I would've gotten horn supports when I turned sixteen to secure them to my scalp, like the one that's holding this to the silver chain. So if I was to be married, I would also have gotten something of yours embedded into them, like, the pearls of your crown."

"... You took pearls off of my crown?"

"Not! I took off a diamond from my knives, since it's you the one who's gonna be wearing it!"

"Oh…"

"Yeah… Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful Rayla…"

* * *

"... So you want to see Rayla…" Callum repeated to the two elves in front of him, placing a hand over his magic book "why are you asking me?"

"Because you're her mate?" Ethari pointed to his necklace.

"Oh, yeah I am her l, uh, mate, but I don't speak on her behalf. She's very capable of doing that herself." He answered, flipping pages of his book. "She's in the library right now, she's been very lightheaded so please don't agita-you know what? I'm going with."

Both elves nodded, they had no other option, this was not their kingdom after all. The walk to the library was long, the halls were filled with paintings and vases (and sometimes a weapon or two lodged in the wall). It was interesting seeing a human castle, since none of their castles had this type of decoration. The library door was huge, they wondered for a moment if a dragon was supposed to fit in it.

"Now… She's very weak right now, please don't agitate her an-" he looked towards Runaan, noticing his still missing horn, he frowned, "put it on." Callum said firmly.

"Wha-"

"The horn piece, put it on" he repeated, looking to the side now.

"I can't, I need to return it."

"... I'm not a hundred percent happy with what she did. I understand it is a demonstration of love and gratitude from her side to mine but," he looked back at Runaan and then at the piece he held in his hands, "I also understand that this was a great sacrifice for her" Callum grabbed his necklace, gripping it strongly.

"So i wear it with pride, I'll always have a oiece of her with me this way and I'm grateful." Now his stare was fixed on both of them, "if you truly love Rayla, you would've put that on the moment you received it and still come to see her."

"If i put it on it'll blend with my remaining horn and she'll lose whatever chance she has at recovering her left horn." Runaan explained but once again the young mage was having none of it.

"Either you put it on, or you don't see her." He grabbed the door, holding it shut.

* * *

"Are you sure this is workin'?" Rayla asked Claudia, who was helping her with prosthesis therapy.

"Yes, look, now you can flex them more than yesterday!" Claudia grinned, tightening the straps a bit more, "try again!"

Rayla was currently getting used to her new hand and thus, Claudia had volunteered to give her therapy, she had decided to make the young elf practice flexing with a new invention of hers. It consisted of six leather straps, one for each finger (minus one that was hanging loose due to Rayla's four fingers) and one that went around her wrist, those six (five) were connected through elastic that held the hand close but allowed enough room to flex them in and out. Rayla could barely separate them at the moment but she was progressing very quickly.

"It hurts Claudia… I really want to go back to sleep."

"No, Callum said you should at least have an hour of therapy and," the mage in training looked at the sand hourglass beside her, "it's only been about ten minutes."

"But it hurts…"

"I know, it's your brain trying to connect with this hand as it did with the other one," she smiled, "okay, again Rayla."

As Rayla was about to complain, the door opened. Callum smiled softly and immediately went to kiss her lips, the small jerky motion Rayla's head did (involuntarily) didn't go unnoticed by Claudia, or by the new occupants of the room. Rayla bit her own lip while she tilted her head to the side, looking into Callum's eyes just to smile fondly and rest her head into his shoulder.

Runaan remembered those days, when Ethari would greet him like that, they would immediately lock horns and stay like that for a while, just to immediately hide his face into his shoulder out of shame that literally came out of nowhere. Rayla was obviously already bonded to this human, the same way the two of them were to each other.

"Rayla… There's visits for you today," Callum whispered, holding her close to him.

Ethari applauded his bravery, he was basically in front of her 'parents' (foster but whatever) yet he held no shame in courting and adapting to Rayla's instincts. He still had to hit Runaan a few times to keep him from growling at the poor mage.

"Visits? Who?"

"Hi… Rayla"

Her head shot up, immediately locking eyes with them. Claudia noticed the change in her breathing fast and pulled out a syringe with a short needle filled with a softly glowing blue liquid. She placed it near her neck and applied the substance. She calmed down quickly enough.

Both noticed she was not drugged by any means, the glowing liquid seemed to be diluted magic with something else. It had balanced her somehow.

"We know you're probably not happy to see us, but we want to talk…"

"I'm banished, you two shouldn't be 'ere" she looked to the side, still resting her head against Callum's shoulder, but the young mage shook his head and stepped up, taking Claudia's arm to guide her to some random bookshelf, near enough to oversee and far enough to not interfere.

"We came for a different reason Rayla… We-"

Apparently Ethari had enough. He kneeled in front of her and united their foreheads, then immediately went to caress the base of her horns while her hands grabbed the length of his. It was a cute sight for Runaan who joined not much later, Rayla and Ethari moved each a hand to give him space.

From their spot, Claudia and Callum heard soft purring.

**Author's Note:**

> I might continue this is I get a positive response 😅.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Please comment if you liked it! 🥰


End file.
